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Dated drugs found at Huntsville pharmacies

By Bobby Shuttleworth
Posted by Dana Franks

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - When someone goes to a pharmacy looking for over-the-counter medicines, they expect it to have something that works. But sometimes customers find something out-of-date.

WAFF 48 News went out to pharmacies around Huntsville to see just how big a problem expired medicine on the shelves is. Our travels found Save-A-Lot on Pulaski Pike, Lucky's on Pulaski Pike and CVS Pharmacy on Oakwood Avenue all had expired medications on the shelves. We purchased some of the medications from each store.

Denisa Strong is a pharmacist at the Wal-Mart on Sparkman Drive in north Huntsville. While she watches out for her customers, she said it's important for patients to do some homework when making decisions about over-the-counter medications.

"It's important to know to check the expiration date because they can lose their effectiveness," Strong said.

Pharmacist Molly Dutton of the Pillbox in Decatur said the customer should also take charge of their purchasing power.

"They need to make sure their drugs are in date, when they do purchase them, and that would allow them to keep the medication longer at home," Dutton said.

WAFF 48 News asked for on-camera interviews from each store where we found problems. They declined. 

CVS' corporate office wouldn't allow anyone locally to do an on-camera interview about the story. They did, however e-mail us a statement, stating in part: "We have a clear product removal policy in place at all of our stores to help ensure that items are removed from our shelves before they reach their expiration date and we apologize that an out-of-date item was sold in one of our stores."

Dutton told WAFF 48 News where and when the dating system started. 

"In 1979, the FDA passed a law saying that all medications needed to have an expiration date," she said. "The drug companies decided to do about a two to three year expiration date starting from the time it was made. They only have to prove that the drug is safe and effective at the time of expiration."

Out of all the stores WAFF 48 News visited, one was actually ahead of the curve. The Wal-Mart store on Sparkman Drive had expiration dates three and four years from now.

Wal-Mart store manager Daniel Duncan said that's because of the protocol they have. 

"They do that on a daily basis," Duncan said. "And they do a great job through the proper rotation of products."

So what happens if the drugs are past the expiration date and someone takes them? Dr. John Fanning said probably not much.

"In 2000 there was a study done by the U.S. military where they looked at the expiration date and the effectiveness and safety of medications and determined that for the most part, medications are safe even after their expiration date," Fanning said.

Fanning recommended that for people who have something at home expired for a year, it's probably still safe and effective.

Strong agreed, as long as it isn't too far out-of-date.

"You can use your medications after they do expire," Strong said. "I personally would only recommend up to about three years." 

She said that is only if kept in a cool, dry, dark place.

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